ISLAMABAD: Testing the strength hand's grip could be a life-saver, as new study has shown that it is the easier and affordable way to predict heart attack and stroke risk.

As per an international study of almost 140,000 adults from 17 culturally and economically diverse countries, weak grip strength is linked with shorter survival and a greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

The study also found that grip strength is a stronger predictor of death than systolic blood pressure, and the authors suggest that it could be used as a quick, low-cost screening tool by doctors or other healthcare professionals to identify high-risk patients among people who develop major illnesses such as heart failure and stroke, said the study published in journal The Lancet.

The current study followed 139,691 adults aged between 35 and 70 years living in 17 countries from The Prospective Urban-Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study for an average (median) of four years.

Grip strength was assessed using a handgrip dynamometer.

Lead author Dr Darryl Leong at the McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, said that further research was needed to establish whether efforts to improve muscle strength were likely to reduce an individual's risk of death and cardiovascular disease.—APP